Down Under Disneyana Australian Disney Forum

I'm a year out from cruising the Mediterranean on the Magic and I have talked DH and our friends into visiting DLP on the way.

We have previously stayed at Hotel Cheyenne (two adults and one child) and would like to stay somewhere else this trip. It will be just my husband, me and our two youngest kids plus our friends (two adults, one teen and a ten & seven yr olds). From what I can see the Hotel New York doesn't have rooms that sleep five px. We would like to stay at HNY or if we can't stay there, Newport Bay. We will be there for 6 or 7 days.

What is the best way to book? We have been using a travel agent for the cruise (we did book direct with DCL then tranfered it to TA to get the on board credit). We generally like to book our own holidays using the net but I would like to have someone else keep an eye out for discounts. If we book now through the DLP website they are offering the room at approx AU$2100 - I think this is fair considering it includes park tickets and 'breakfast'.We are happy with this style of breakfast.

Next question...if staying at Newport Bay, should I pay the extra ($150) for the Admiral floor? Some reviews pan it and others say just the breakfast delivered to their room was worth it! From what I can gather the extra cost covers - separate check in, breakfast in room, higher floor of hotel and nothing else! What am I missing?

If we stayed at HNY should we splurge for a suite? Suites get VIP fastpasses valid for EVERY attraction using the FP system but cost is unknown as you need to book via phone. Would a suite sleep 5px? The decor of this hotel looks dated and a little loud. The NB looks welcoming but maybe I'm influenced by familiarity of the Beach Club at WDW...

More questions - Has anyone done the CityRama Paris tour? Bus trip stopping at main sites, boat ride on the Seine and ticket to second floor of Eiffel Tower - sounds like enough time away from the parks for me! However the other family has not been to Paris before and will want to spend more time away - should they stay in central Paris or commute and mix park days with touring the city? The Mum and teen are big shoppers and will love the outlets closeby to DLP. The Dad and other kids will love hanging out with my family at those times the others are shopping. We have travelled together several times. I'm looking for any tips you may have for touring the city, shopping or beating the crowds in the parks (We will avoid weekends at Disney but I still want to stay onsite the whole trip. The other family is not so sure).

I'm sure I have so many more things to ask so thank you for reading this far!

Hiya, I cant really help too much as most your questions seem very specific to weather or not you want to do it. If you feel the upgrade to Admiral and can afford it then sure why not. I dont think it will make the stay any better as its more about the parks but thats just me. I wouldnt spend it. Paris is an expencive city and I would rather have the cash. The views up higher wont make alot of difference I dont think. Its not like the hotel sits on the park like the Disneyland Hotel does over the enterance. Its right at the other end of the downtown Disney and around the corner at the other end of the lake. I really recomend doing Paris City seperate and staying there for a couple of days. Disney is close but not THAT close to paris to be commuting every day. Keep in mind hotel rooms can be very small in Paris its self.

Thats about all I can offer from my own experience.

More questions - Has anyone done the CityRama Paris tour? Bus trip stopping at main sites, boat ride on the Seine and ticket to second floor of Eiffel Tower - sounds like enough time away from the parks for me!

Yes! We did this in 2006 and really enjoyed it. You see the main Paris sights like the Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower and get lots of history commentary etc. It was a good intro to Paris but left you wanting more, so when the weekend turned out to be horrifically busy at the parks, we caught the metro into the City to do some of our own exploring such as The Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe. Paris really is a wonderful city and we found it pleasantly quiet on the weekends (as opposed to the parks!)

I'm not sure about your accommodation options at the New York or Newport Bay - you should probably check out some English fan websites like http://www.DLRPMagic.com or http://www.magicforum.eu/viewforum.php?f=27

We did end up booking Hotel Newport Bay for 6 nights in July for 952 POUNDS! Awesome deal as it includes park tix and breakfast on the Admiral floor.

We are not using Disney express but have booked a private van for all nine of us from airport and back. We did not book any city tours yet but are planning for the Sunday to be spent in Paris itself and a part day at the outlets 'next door' to the Disney resort. EMHs start at 8am but Café Mickey doesn't open for character breakfast until 7.30am - What?

Any tips/suggestions gladly accepted. Although we cannot do too much buying before Barcelona as we have a Vueling flight from Paris to Spain (we have already paid for one extra bag) and they have strict weight allowances. Once we get to Spain we are back on Qantas/Emirates and can utilise membership baggage increases!

We did end up booking Hotel Newport Bay for 6 nights in July for 952 POUNDS! Awesome deal as it includes park tix and breakfast on the Admiral floor.

That is outstanding!

We also hired a van from the airport and it is better than the Disney buses. Also, we found the Disney bus heading back to Charles de Gaulle was a bit hit and miss as to whether you will make your connection, so a private van is a better option - especially with nine of you.