Originally Posted By minigirl1156 Hi all. Looking for some advice. We live in Colorado and are frequent, well relatively speaking, visitors of DLR in California. My son (age 9) had the wonderful idea that we should skip a few trips and save our money for one big trip overseas to go to DLP. Of course, we would see other sights on the trip but he really wants to go overseas. I know the cost would be alot more than our normal trips but, if we saved, it wouldn't be too much of an issue. My family also has a few timeshares that we could look into swapping weeks to lower the housing expense. Is it worth it? Especially since he is really interested into DLP as the main attraction? Thanks for any suggestions/ideas.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Is it worth it go travel overseas and get to see and experience cultures other than your own? Absolutely. Is it worth it to travel all that way, only with DLP in mind? I doubt it. If you can make it so that DLP is a part of a larger trip, I completely think that it would be worth it. I would think that you should plan on spending at least 3-4 days somewhere else (Paris, London, etc) or do a few days in a couple different cities, and then a couple days at DLP. The emphasis should definitely be on getting to see the rest of the world; if you can fit DLP in to your schedule too, that's a great addition, but I don't think it should be the main focus of your trip.
Originally Posted By u k fan A trip to Europe would be very worth it, but as above DLP is not the same kind of draw as somewhere like WDW is for us Brits without adding in the delights of Paris or London or some of the other really cool places around. With the channel tunnel a London/Paris/DLP multi-center vacation is very easy indeed!!!
Originally Posted By minigirl1156 I think if we are going to the expense and time of going overseas, it would definately not be a one-stop trip. There are so many amazing sights to see that I probably couldn't fit it all in one trip! I've only been overseas once on a trip to Armenia before my son was born and that was 9 years ago. I love history but that's a hard sell to a 9 year old. It's just in the pre-planning stages now but I would love to drop a Disney park in the mix somehow. It might help with selling him on the historical locations.
Originally Posted By Bolna I think your idea of a trip to Europe with DLP thrown in sounds like a wonderful idea and visiting DLP would be worth it in my opinion. I don't think that history has to be boring for kids. Many places here in Europe are really great at having special stuff for kids to make museums and historical sights more accessible to them like special children guide books etc. I would also suggest to look around what you might want to visit and not be only focused on Paris and possibly London. Even though I think both cities are great destinations, there are many other places that are well worth a visit as well and which might be possibly more relaxed and therefore more enjoyable for a family vacation. One area that I loved was the Loire Valley with all its castles and beautiful French countryside.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros If you can pull a trip like that, then by all means, go for it. I was lucky enough to travel abroad a couple times when I was about that same age, and those trips are experiences that have truly had a lasting impact on me. There are many things about me that I feel I can trace directly to those times. Travel is a wonderful gift to be able to give a child. Regardless of an interest in history, it's truly fascinating to just experience another culture so immersively. From the little things like a different form of money (which isn't as fun with the Euro, but still plenty entertaining), to bigger things like trying to tackle the language (even in England!), there are so many things that you will learn without even realizing it. Case in point: If you ask either of my parents, my brother (2 years older) or me what our favorite part of the trip was, I can almost gurantee that we would respond with Vienna. If you ask us what we did there, I don't think any of us would be able to answer. The weather was cruddy, it was the end of a trip and we were tired, and we can't even remember what we did there. But somehow, we all loved it. There's so much to be said for just experiencing things first hand. 90% of life is just showing up. I would give a small word of caution to avoid doing any one thing too much, since it's pretty easy to burn out. I know that my brother and I got pretty tired of world-class art museums quickly (there are only so many "Madonna and Child" paintings you can see), which made for some interesting days that we tried to reschedule. Looking back on it, I do regret some of the things that we missed, but I think we made the right decisions. I do remember a couple places that I really disliked, but for the most part, even the bad parts of the trip were still pretty amazing. And as a full disclosure, we did make a side trip to DLP while we were in Paris. I do regret not getting to see the Musee d'Orsay, but DLP was totally the right thing to do at the time. If you're son is any thing like my brother and I, it will definitely give you some leverage to get some less-appealing-sounding activities in, especially if it's a later stop in your trip.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo There are so many things to see in the area, we have been taking our kids since they were 12 weeks old and mixing in museums, galleries, churches, WWI trenches, WWII sites and many more. We can totally help with itineraries. We just got back today from 3 weeks in France, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium, so I will be writing up my trip report with photos over the coming days. Check them out for some ideas. My kids are now 5 and 7. And they too have been to WDW and DL. As well as Disneyland Paris over a dozen times or so, but be sure to do more than just DLP.
Originally Posted By EmmaJayne It's definitely worth a trip to Europe, with DLP part of a trip.. I had 2 months in Europe on 2009 with a week in Paris and sadly only one day spent at DLP.. I wish I had spent an extra day or two there and with younger family members you would definitely need to. There are so many amazing destinations within easy travel distance of DLP and it would be a fantastic time in your sons life to open his eyes to other languages, cultures, the general world outside the US.
Originally Posted By KatieKate123 I am sure there are awesome things in Europe for him to see. When I was that age I went to London to visit my dad, and though there were a lot of boring things we did (b/c my sister is 6 years older) we also did some awesome things. We went to a real castle, saw a real dungeon which explained how all of the equipment was used for tortue, and we also went a tiny fair. The food was unique, and the experience was one in a lifetime. Eventually when my kids get to be a little older I plan on taking them somewhere new. Right now they are 7,5 and this year we are going to WDW, next San Fransico, and the following year we my end up going on a cruise somewhere. New experiences are great.
Originally Posted By KatieKate123 oh and yes I do realize London is in Europe but I am not sure which part you would be visiting.
Originally Posted By minigirl1156 Thanks for all the information! I really have to see. My husband gets two weeks vacation annually so we need to figure out if that's enough time to do everything we want. I'm sure it's not but I bet we could make a really good trip out of it. The problem I have is minimizing. I'd want to see everything and well, that just can't happen.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Well, let me know your interests and we can ensure you will have an amazing time. DLP can be done at a nice pace in about 3 days (or longer). Paris can be a couple of days. Then there are other things to see in the area (recommend Medieval Provins, a UNESCO world heritage site 40 minutes south of DLP where in high season they have falconry, siege weapon and horse mounted combat displays - perfect. There are chateau's and Parc Asterix is another excellent theme park in the area. Also London is very easy by Eurostar too. I recommend flying into London to get over jet lag and enjoy a show in the West End, Tower of London, London Eye and a tour of the sites, hop the train into Paris for a couple of days, explore some of the wider areas, then hop over to DLP. Also, since you have timeshares, if any trade on Interval, you may be able to trade into our Marriott Ile De France resort on the DLP golf course - a great base for the area, and a 45 minute journey into Paris. 10 days there and you could have a fantastic vacation (or more).
Originally Posted By jimminy44 Be careful of your arrival day if you are staying at the Disneyland Resort Paris. They charge different rates depending on which day of the week you arrive. AND, charge you that rate for the successive days. My 8-night trip at the Sequioa Lodge, for example, would have cost $4,476 if I arrived on a Saturday. This was, near $1700 more than an 8-night stay arriving on a Monday. We were shocked. We ran the numbers through the reservation site again and again. We decided to spend 2 nights at the 5-star Hotel Champs-Elysees Plaza at $600 a night near the Champs Elysees and are arriving on a Monday at the Resort. And get this: We are still saving $491! BTW, they unashamedly publish the different rates in the "Price Guide". The days of the week are color-coded for you to see the different rates. Spent an entire day on their site crunching the numbers and feel it was time well spent.
