How to reach the resort - Car - Train - Plane - Boat
UK visitors have a number of travel choices, many of which depend on their geographical location. Those living South of Birmingham, for instance, can make use of the Eurotunnel services from London. This excellent service allows guests to actually check in on the train itself, making the whole process of arriving at the resort less stressful. Car owners who live near the Chunnel might consider driving - certainly the cheapest option, but a three and a half hour drive on the French side should be anticipated. However, the advantage of a car at your disposal once there does make seeing Paris and other hotels much more practical and, of course, the rapidly developing shopping mall at Val d'Europe makes the car almost a necessity.
However, driving from the North of England, Wales or anywhere in Scotland is not really feasible. In this instance the only realistic option is to fly. All major airports in the UK offer daily flights to Charles De Gaulle - the best airport from which to reach the resort - and the newly opened Beauvais Airport is available on certain flights from Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow. Before choosing your airline, it's important to know how the coach service which collects you from the airport and takes you to the Park makes its rounds. In effect, the coach stops first at Terminal 1. This is for BA and certain other European carriers. When the coach has picked up everyone from terminal 1, it wends its way to the massive terminal 2. This is Air France and about thirty other airlines. Now, particularly at weekends and peak times, the coach will be filled at Terminal 1, making it very difficult to squeeze folk in at terminal 2. If you manage to get on, you might well be separated from the offspring and spouse and you'll suffer the cramped seats with less than delight. Our advice used to be to only choose Air France if there's little other choice. However, BA was moved to terminal 2B. The bus picks up from terminal 2D (Gate 12) which is a left turn as you leave the baggage pick-up area as terminal 2D is in reality an extension of 2B to the left end. Fortunately, the bus company has increased the number of vehicles operating - probably owing to the new hotels opening on site - so the pick-up at Gate 2 is not as bad as it might have been.
If you'd prefer a private or semi-private shuttle service, there are several. Booking on the internet - the preferred option for many - is often complicated, however, by poor design, ropey translations (why don't they simply choose a UK languages graduate to check their sites?) and unclear pricing of many of the shuttle operators. One excellent one, however, is here . Picking up at all three Paris airports, it's also an easy site to use, with clear pricing and the email confirmation is prompt and accurate.
On returning home, however, security is - rightly - very tight. Unfortunately, in terminal 2B, that means they won't let you through to the gates (where there is seating) from the check-in area, where the only seating is in two small, cramped spaces until shortly before your flight. This, of course, results in a horrendous queue forming every hour or so, instead of a steady stream of people through the security check.
Our advice now is to check with your airline to see which terminal it will be using. If it's terminal 1, then you should have no problems with either arrival or departure. Terminal 2, however, is a different story, although the French are azttempting to expand and enahnce the place.
By Car
Disneyland Paris lies 30 km to the east of Paris,
and has a specially built link (exit 14) from the A4 Westbound from Paris
and from the Eastbound A4, from Strasbourg. If you get confused, simply
follow the signs to ‘Marne la Vallee (Val d’Europe)
until you see the DLP signs. (The Davy Crockett
ranch is exit 13.) Use the A1 from Calais to reach CDG airport and
make sure you take a ticket at the first toll booth so you can pay for
your motorway use (currently 17 euros) at the final booth. NB: for some
reason, the automatic petrol pumps in France won't accept UK credit cards
so the first petrol is about 50 miles after Calais if you're an early
morning arrival.
By Air:
Both
Orly and Charles de Gaulle Airports
have a shuttle bus which runs every 30 minutes (45 in the low season).
No booking is necessary and costs are approximately 80 ff per person.
The relatively new and very well placed Beauvais
Airport is also becoming more popular, especially with visitors from
Ireland and Scotland. As yet, however, there is no easy way to reach DLP
from there and the best advice is to take the taxi or train into Paris
to any RER station and reach DLP via that route.
By Train:
The
Paris RER runs directly to the Park as does the TGV which has connections
throughout Europe and a direct line from the United Kingdom. This
superb German website will supply details of all train journeys within
Europe and will do it in English, which makes it invaluable for travell;ers.
Parking:
The park itself has parking for more than 12
000 vehicles and a highly efficient moving sidewalk to convey disembarking
passengers to the exit. Parking costs 1 Euro per day for cars and 1.20
for campers and coaches. Parking at Disneyland Paris hotels is free to
Guests staying in the hotels and the Disneyland and New York hotels offer
valet parking.
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