England & France: Cities of Knights & Lights (London & Paris) Meets Thread

[SingingMom]

Yes, the trip is 12/26/14 to 1/2/15. We just got back from a Winter Wonderland and this is a great time to travel for us! Looking forward to doing it again next year!

Did you have Laura as a guide?

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[acndis]

No, we had Hanneke and Whitney. Both were fantastic! We did see Laura and Dean at Flagg Ranch when our groups overlapped. I think they got pretty amazing guides for this trip!

 

[Phil1019]

Question for anyone that has eaten at the Eiffel Tower. Would you rec. 58 Eiffel Tower or Le Jules Verne? I read online that one couple paid $387.00 for lunch at Le Jules Verne!

 

[sayhello]

Question for anyone that has eaten at the Eiffel Tower. Would you rec. 58 Eiffel Tower or Le Jules Verne? I read online that one couple paid $387.00 for lunch at Le Jules Verne!

We had lunch at 58 Eiffel Tower (actually, 58 Tour Eiffel ), but it was included in the ABD, so I'm not sure what the cost was. The food was very good. Not fabulous, but it was good. They were surprisingly stingy with the coffee, but that's the only complaint I heard.

The view is really nice from up there, too.

Sayhello

 

[Phil1019]

Thank you for the info. I am definietly going to book dinner at 58 Tour Eiffel. Le Jules Verne is just a little to pricey for my wallet.

 

[RSM]

We had dinner at the Jules Verne a few years ago. It was 3 of us (2 adults and an 8 y/o). No doubt, it is very pricey. Our bill was about $800. This included 2 champagne cocktails, 2 appetizers, 3 entree's (no kids menu), 3 deserts, and a bottle of wine (one of the lower priced selections). The food ranged from good to very good, but you are definitely paying for the experience. Eating at the Jules Verne had some personal significance for us, so it was one of those bucket list items for us. Again, the food was good, with some things very good. Would we do it again? Probably not. You can absolutely find better meals at a more reasonable cost elsewhere in Paris. But, we are glad we did it one time.

 

[meajuly5]

Thank you for the info. I am definietly going to book dinner at 58 Tour Eiffel. Le Jules Verne is just a little to pricey for my wallet.

What is the menus at 58 tower Eiffel? Suitable for kids?

 

[Phil1019]

To look at the menu you can go on their web site directly. There are separate prices for adults and children up to age 12 yrs. For two adults at 0630 pm seating the cost is approx. $217 US dollars.I think that lunch is much cheaper.You can also make reservations on their web site, but you must prepay. Dinner menu is a set menu with choice of 3 different appetizers, entreee and dessert.

 

[JRM815]

We (my wife, 15-y/o twins, and I) just signed up for the July 25-Aug 1 K & L trip. This will be our 3rd ABD adventure, but the first one outside of the US.

My wife really wants to see a show at the West End. Any suggestions on getting tickets? Would the concierge at the hotel be of any help?

 

[sayhello]

We (my wife, 15-y/o twins, and I) just signed up for the July 25-Aug 1 K & L trip. This will be our 3rd ABD adventure, but the first one outside of the US.

My wife really wants to see a show at the West End. Any suggestions on getting tickets? Would the concierge at the hotel be of any help?

I've added you to the Roll Call in the first post.

I didn't book any theater tickets on my K & L trip, as The Lion King was still included in the trip at the time. So I can't speak to that. But in general, I would think if you don't care what you see, the concierge may well be able to help you get tickets to a show once you're there. But I don't know that I'd count on getting tickets to a specific show that way. But hopefully, someone who actually booked tickets that way will speak up. You might want to check with SingingMom. I know she's a frequent theater attendee, and I do believe she bought theater tickets when they did their K & L trip.

Sayhello

 

[SingingMom]

We (my wife, 15-y/o twins, and I) just signed up for the July 25-Aug 1 K & L trip. This will be our 3rd ABD adventure, but the first one outside of the US. My wife really wants to see a show at the West End. Any suggestions on getting tickets? Would the concierge at the hotel be of any help?

There is a TKTS booth in Leister Square area with same day ticket availability. Some tickets are discounted, others are best available seats, but not necessarily at a discount. You can check with the hotel's concierge, but your best bet is to check the TKTS booth or directly at the Theatre's box office. The difficulty with going to the box office is that the "West End" really isn't like Broadway in NYC, where the Theatre District is more or less in the same area, with Times Square as your center. London's Theatre's area is spread throughout the city.

We went to see Les Miserables at the Queen Theatre. We purchased the tickets at the TKT Booth, but not at any real discount. We purchased them after our group lunch at Harrods, then took a cab from the hotel to the theatre. We walked back to the hotel after the show, but that's when ABD stayed at Chancery Court. Not sure the proximity to the Landmark. Good luck & enjoy!!!

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[calypso726]

Today I booked our hotel reservation for our post stay at the Disneyland Hotel in Paris. It's starting to feel a little more real even though September still seems so far away.

 

[SingingMom]

Today I booked our hotel reservation for our post stay at the Disneyland Hotel in Paris. It's starting to feel a little more real even though September still seems so far away.

That hotel is beautiful! I visited DD20 in October during her semester in London & we took a "mother/daughter" trip to DLP, staying at the Disneyland Hotel for two nights. Convenient doesn't begin to describe how great it was to be in such close proximity to everything. How long are you staying? We did three days, two nights, and saw everything. Have dinner at Walt's Restaurant on Main Street if you can. Beautiful setting and great food.

We had a very nice time and are happy we went, but it doesn't compare with WDW, in our opinion.

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[calypso726]

That hotel is beautiful! I visited DD20 in October during her semester in London & we took a "mother/daughter" trip to DLP, staying at the Disneyland Hotel for two nights. Convenient doesn't begin to describe how great it was to be in such close proximity to everything. How long are you staying? We did three days, two nights, and saw everything. Have dinner at Walt's Restaurant on Main Street if you can. Beautiful setting and great food.

We had a very nice time and are happy we went, but it doesn't compare with WDW, in our opinion.

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

From everything I have read so far, I am prepared to not have my expectations the way I do with WDW. We are also staying two nights. Thanks for the suggestion on where to eat on property. What are the room sizes like compared to WDW resort rooms? I am not sure if we will be ok with 4 adults in one room for the 2 nights or will it be too cramped? Thanks in advance.

 

[sayhello]

From everything I have read so far, I am prepared to not have my expectations the way I do with WDW. We are also staying two nights. Thanks for the suggestion on where to eat on property. What are the room sizes like compared to WDW resort rooms? I am not sure if we will be ok with 4 adults in one room for the 2 nights or will it be too cramped? Thanks in advance.

I had a room at the Disneyland Hotel with only one bed, so I can't speak to how big a double room would be, but my room was quite large. Not "typical" European. And SingingMom is right. The convenience is phenomenal!

I'll post some photos when I get home.

Be SURE you do Crush's Coaster at the Studios. One of the BEST, most original coasters I've ever done! Loved it! And their building for Pirates is amazing. Studios is a bit underwhelming, but their Magic Kingdom is much more like Disneyland than than WDW. There's a lot to like about it. THE most gorgeous castle I've seen so far.

Sayhello

 

[Cousin Orville]

I was in Paris last October and had a great time. I was vacationing with friends in Paris who were not into Disney as I, so I took the train down to DLP just for the day. Had a wonderful time. I agree DLP is probably the most beautiful of the Magic Kingdoms. 1 day was enough for me to see everything on my list, but 2 days would be ideal to go at a slower/less commando pace and also to become more familiar with the park. I spent a couple of hours in the studios mainly to do crush's coaster. Studios frankly was a huge disappointment - kind of shocking that it was built by Disney. Wasn't there an usual backstory as to why Disney built it? I seem to remember Disney was required by its contract to build a 2nd park within a certain amount of time and this was what came of that? I could be completely wrong. Get a reservations at Walt's. They were booked up when I tried. It's a beautiful park and I'd love to go back one day.

 

[calypso726]

I had a room at the Disneyland Hotel with only one bed, so I can't speak to how big a double room would be, but my room was quite large. Not "typical" European. And SingingMom is right. The convenience is phenomenal!

I'll post some photos when I get home.

Be SURE you do Crush's Coaster at the Studios. One of the BEST, most original coasters I've ever done! Loved it! And their building for Pirates is amazing. Studios is a bit underwhelming, but their Magic Kingdom is much more like Disneyland than than WDW. There's a lot to like about it. THE most gorgeous castle I've seen so far.

Sayhello

I chose this resort due to the location. Convenience is exactly what I am looking for. We booked it using DVC points and they were nearly double the number of points as the other resorts This is why I am hoping one room for 4 adults will be ok. The location convinced me to do it despite the number of points required. Looking forward to seeing the pictures and thank you for sharing! I will put Crush Coaster and Pirates down as a "must do" things in addition to Walt's Restaurant.

 

[calypso726]

I was in Paris last October and had a great time. I was vacationing with friends in Paris who were not into Disney as I, so I took the train down to DLP just for the day. Had a wonderful time. I agree DLP is probably the most beautiful of the Magic Kingdoms. 1 day was enough for me to see everything on my list, but 2 days would be ideal to go at a slower/less commando pace and also to become more familiar with the park. I spent a couple of hours in the studios mainly to do crush's coaster. Studios frankly was a huge disappointment - kind of shocking that it was built by Disney. Wasn't there an usual backstory as to why Disney built it? I seem to remember Disney was required by its contract to build a 2nd park within a certain amount of time and this was what came of that? I could be completely wrong. Get a reservations at Walt's. They were booked up when I tried. It's a beautiful park and I'd love to go back one day.

Thank you for sharing. Besides Crush's a Coaster were there any attractions that you would say must not be missed? I will make sure to make reservations for Walt's. Any other "must eat there" places on property or nearby?

 

[SingingMom]

From everything I have read so far, I am prepared to not have my expectations the way I do with WDW. We are also staying two nights. Thanks for the suggestion on where to eat on property. What are the room sizes like compared to WDW resort rooms? I am not sure if we will be ok with 4 adults in one room for the 2 nights or will it be too cramped? Thanks in advance.

Our double room was huge! We could gave had a party. ;-). Two large beds that I think were queen, a nice size table and chairs, high ceilings, and we were on the first floor with a terrace! Lovely. The lobby area is beautiful, as is the bar. Very "Grand Floridian" style.

Food options in the hotel were lacking. No spot to get just a little something, except the bar, which had very little choices. We were disappointed in that. Our package was two nights stay, 3 day park hopper, and breakfast each day. On our third day, We left our luggage at the bell stand, did more of the parks, ate at 3pm at Walt's and still had a leisurely time to walk to the Eurostar to get back to London.

Crush's Coaster was fun. Most rides we found were a bit more intense than WDW- Space Mountain and Indian Jones both do an upside down loop or two, and things seemed "faster". Lol. The castle is breathtaking - do not miss walking inside and down to the dungeon. No Photopass photographers, which was too bad, since this was just a trip with new and DD20.

Downtown Disney is a few steps away - lots of dining options. We unfortunately didn't turn the corner and missed the rest of the restaurants! Oops. Ate at Planet Hollywood (skip that one! Too crowded too loud!) but afterward found King Ludwig's, which would have been a nice reminder of our Germany ABD! There was a nice steakhouse, and a few more good options.

Ok - here's our "observations" - we found the CMs to be nothing like the ones in WDW we are used to. Hard to find, and not very helpful. We were disappointed. Also - no character attendants, so people push, shove, and rush at the characters. It was very alarming.

Disneyland Hotel was beautiful, Walt's Restaurant was one of our best memories of the entire trip, and we LOVED Dreams firework show!!
We were very happy we had the opportunity to experience DLP, but we wouldn't return unless we were right in the area again.

"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Cousin Orville]

Thank you for sharing. Besides Crush's a Coaster were there any attractions that you would say must not be missed? I will make sure to make reservations for Walt's. Any other "must eat there" places on property or nearby?

I loved Space Mt, BTM, and Haunted Mansion. Many of the fantasyland attractions were similar to DL and WDW version but with a subtle difference. Most of all I just l loved walking around and taking in the atmosphere. Besides the Studios, the only thing I was a little disappointed in was I could not find any cool logo shirts to buy. They had a couple of things, but nothing great. I did buy a couple of neat pins.