Originally Posted By DouglasDubh We are hoping to visit Europe this summer, and to spend a few days at DLP the first week of August. Would we be better off with a Monday to Wednesday visit, or a Wednesday to Friday? Or is Saturday to Monday fine? I am wondering if weekends are more crowded than weekdays, or if they are about the same.
Originally Posted By dagobert August will be very crowded, because of the holiday season. I would recommend to visit DLP during the weeks days, because the weekends will be even more crowded. I guess Monday to Wednesday is a better choice.
Originally Posted By u k fan I would suggest Monday. People staying for 5 days will generally be arriving so won't be in the park early and weekenders will be leaving or have left!!!
Originally Posted By leemac August is brutal. Quietest days are typically Tuesday and Wednesday. I'd avoid the weekend at all costs - Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays are usually pretty busy too as you have the combination of departures and arrivals crisscrossing one another. If you aren't staying on property then I'd recommend getting to the park as early as possible. Even on a quiet summer day you will have to deal with 90 minute plus queues for POTC/HM and 120 minutes plus for BTMRR/SM etc. It is best to make the most of FPs wherever possible.
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh Thanks Lee. My daughter is doing a London study with her university during July, so we were thinking of flying out and picking her up, then driving around Great Britain before heading to Paris. I was thinking of using DVC points to stay at the Sequoia or Newport Bay, and I noticed that they charge the same number of points per night for weekends as weekdays, so that got me thinking that maybe they were about the same crowd wise. I was considering going to DLP on Weds to Fri, then flying out of Paris on Saturday, but maybe I should cut a day out of our England trip, and go to DLP Tues to Thurs, then spend an extra day in Paris.
Originally Posted By leemac <<I was considering going to DLP on Weds to Fri, then flying out of Paris on Saturday, but maybe I should cut a day out of our England trip, and go to DLP Tues to Thurs, then spend an extra day in Paris.>> It all depends what you want to achieve in England. August is also very busy for tourists in the UK - especially in London. Just make sure you make the most of early admission opportunities as you will be able to tick off a number of attractions. Patience is the key during August - the crowds can be large and occasionally unruly - there are a lot of teenagers in the parks at weekends and during the holidays.
Originally Posted By leemac <<Thanks Lee. My daughter is doing a London study with her university during July, so we were thinking of flying out and picking her up, then driving around Great Britain before heading to Paris.>> Very cool - holler if you want any advice about site seeing in the UK too.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN I was there two mondays ago in early december and was glad the crowds were lighter than what they have been in the past few months. Made a park that is usually filled with unbearably rude euros feel pleasant and at times, smoke free.
Originally Posted By leemac ^^ December probably just the greatest disparity between weekday and weekend crowds - particularly this year with schools breaking up so late. Was it wet when you visited? I gather they have had a lot of rainfall this month.
Originally Posted By leemac <<^^ December probably just the greatest disparity between weekday and weekend crowds - particularly this year with schools breaking up so late.>> ^^ December probably HAS the greatest disparity between weekday and weekend crowds - particularly this year with schools breaking up so late.
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh "Very cool - holler if you want any advice about site seeing in the UK too." Thanks. I spent 3 months there when I was in college doing a study abroad program, so I kind of know my way around. The hard part will be deciding what to hit and what to leave out. I need to figure out the best representative of each type of experience. I know my wife and kids aren't going to want to see a half-dozen old castles or cathedrals, and they have already told me I can't drag them through the museum at Duxford or the imperial war museum in East London. But I definitely want to walk around Cambridge again, and show them York and Edinburgh Castle. Maybe go to Fountains Abbey and through Stratford. Probably Warwick.
Originally Posted By u k fan Douglas, I live about 25 minutes from Stratford/Warwick. If you need any help/advice let me know!!!
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh Thanks. Once I know if my boss will give me one week off or two I will start making more definite plans.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Was that other poster asking me about the day I visited? FYI.. it was monday, mostly cloudy and temp was in the low 40F's. No rain that day otherwise I would not have gone.
Originally Posted By karlg I spent a lot of time in the U.K. from 1979 through 1994 and have been back a few times since, the last time being for 2 weeks 5 years ago. I highly recommend York. I would also highly recommend Bath. To me Warwick was turned into a bit of a tourist trap like a "Renaissance Fair." I liked it better when it was just a Castle/Palace without all the fake acting. Edinburgh is a great place to visit but the inside of the Castle is just so/so. Other things we enjoyed were Stonehenge and the Lake District. Some of my favorite things in London are The Tower of London (I think this is the best place to start), London Museum (next to the Tower), Theater (better than the U.S. if for no other reason than the theaters are smaller), Covent Gardens, Chuchill's War Room, Westminster Abbey/Big Ben, and The British Museum (see all of the British plunder of the world). BTW, I like the Imperial War Museum too, but my wife and second son skipped on that.
Originally Posted By u k fan The Imperial War Museum has an awesome reading room that looks like something from Hogwarts! Despite being very close I've never been to Warwick Castle, but it's run by the Merlin Group who own several theme parks so the comments above make sense!!!
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh So my wife and I decided that we didn't have enough vacation time and money to go to England and Paris this summer, but my daughter is over in London now with her university's study abroad program. Does anyone have a suggestion for a reasonably inexpensive but safe hotel she and a couple of friends can stay at in Paris for a long weekend? They are planning to spend one day going to Disneyland and a couple seeing the sites of Paris.
Originally Posted By u k fan Sorry, I've never actually stayed in Paris, so I can't recommend anything personally!!!
