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Jusr how much of a bubble is Disneyland Paris?

Jusr how much of a bubble is Disneyland Paris?

Old Dec 12th, 2018, 04:57 PM
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Jusr how much of a bubble is Disneyland Paris?

More being better.

We're in the early stages of planning a UK tirp in the late spring or early smmer (most likely). Our itinerary is still rather up in the air, and while we had been considering Alton Towers (and briefly Thorpe Park), we all love things of Disney.

DH does not like the idea of traveling to France, for any number of reasons (some of them quite silly, but at core the issue is that he's afraid he'll find the language confusing and the food strange). I could point out that we go to Montreal with some frequency, I have some rudimentary French, and I can read the language, but it still fills him with trepidation, despite the temptation of Disney.

The news that we can get on a train at St. Pancras and ticket through to Chessy (depending on the train, we may not even have to transfer) has intrigued him. Especially the idea that Disney will whisk his luggage away to the hotel while he strolls off to the parks. I might add that the Chunnel is one of his bucket list aspirations, despite the idea that France is on the other side of it.

Near as I can tell, Disney is very, very good about multi-lingual signs, and someone who speaks no French and is rather cautious about things out of his comfort zone should do just fine, even with some of his weirder dietary requirements. He does speak a little Spanish, but he can't read it, so I wouldn't think it would be relevant.

DS and I are very enthusiastic about the idea, and we think we would all enjoy it, at least as long as DH isn't confused and hungry. DS (23) has some mild delays, but he's pretty flexible about travel (particuarly if you don't deviate from the itinerary once you've set it) and he's not difficult to feed. He'd also like to go to France, and we were both hoping that if DH went to Dsineyland Paris and had a good time he might become a little more flexible about traveling there.
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Old Dec 12th, 2018, 05:04 PM
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There should be NO problems with the signage and if you get one of those thru services all the way to the park when you get off the entrance, the hotel(s) are basically right there so no possibility of getting lost, etc. The food? Will he eat a burger and fries? There is little that is "strange" about the food offerings including in the various restaurants. He's worried over nothing IMO.
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Old Dec 12th, 2018, 05:14 PM
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If you proceed with that plan, wouldn't it make sense to fly to London but depart from Paris?
These so called open-jaw flights may end up cheaper than flying to/from London and take the Eurostar to/from Paris (or Disneyland Paris).
If you want to test his appetite for visiting Paris proper (in the future), you could also use your stay/base at Disneyland to incorporate (at least as a hidden potential) a day trip from there into Paris. If he still does not like it, you could get on the next suburban train back to Disneyland.
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Old Dec 12th, 2018, 05:15 PM
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Originally Posted by Dukey1
There should be NO problems with the signage and if you get one of those thru services all the way to the park when you get off the entrance, the hotel(s) are basically right there so no possibility of getting lost, etc. The food? Will he eat a burger and fries? There is little that is "strange" about the food offerings including in the various restaurants. He's worried over nothing IMO.
Thanks!

I've been peering at YouTube videos and it looked like the signage was almost universally multi-lingual, but it's really helpful to get that confirmed.

He actually won't eat a burger, which makes our lives really difficult, because it's often the default "non-adventurous" choice. He will eat pizza, and there may be a fair amount of that. Most restaurant entrees that he will eat have to have at least some modifications, which restaurants in France have a reputation for not being flexible about, but Disney is usually wonderful with. It also looks like they have quite a few buffets, and those usually work for him.
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Old Dec 12th, 2018, 05:27 PM
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Originally Posted by Cowboy1968
If you proceed with that plan, wouldn't it make sense to fly to London but depart from Paris?
These so called open-jaw flights may end up cheaper than flying to/from London and take the Eurostar to/from Paris (or Disneyland Paris).
If you want to test his appetite for visiting Paris proper (in the future), you could also use your stay/base at Disneyland to incorporate (at least as a hidden potential) a day trip from there into Paris. If he still does not like it, you could get on the next suburban train back to Disneyland.
I had sort of considered that, but I'm not sure how well it would work. I'm certainly capable of getting us from an airport to Chessy/Marne-la-Vallee without incident, but I think there would be a lot of anxiety, and we might actually end up open jaw London/Dublin.

I had been thinking a day trip to Paris might work (and you can actually book them through Disney), either with DH or just for myself and DS while he stayed at Disneyland.

Thanks!
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Old Dec 12th, 2018, 05:33 PM
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Ask your husband to read this article:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disneyland_Paris

In response, French philosopher Michel Serres noted, "It is not America that is invading us. It is we who adore it, who adopt its fashions and above all, its words." Euro Disney S.C.A.'s then-chairman Robert Fitzpatrick responded, "We didn't come in and say O.K., we're going to put a beret and a baguette on Mickey Mouse. We are who we are."[11
If that is not American what is?

Somewhere in the distance your husband will hear “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”.
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Old Dec 12th, 2018, 06:50 PM
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I speak essentially no French (not proud of it, just a fact) other than merci, etc. and I have absolutely no problem most places in France. An open jaw in to one city and home from the other, Eurostar between the two makes most sense. Your husbands concerns re language are baseless. I've been to DL Paris twice and it is far FAR better than Thorpe Park. The ​​​​​​channel tunnel may be big disappointment if your husband expects exciting - it is basically a train with semi interesting scenery on the Kent side and nothing much to see on the French side.

But really GO FOR IT! Some time in London, a couple of days at DL Paris, and a couple of days in Paris proper would be fabulous.
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Old Dec 13th, 2018, 12:49 AM
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Originally Posted by persimmondeb
I had sort of considered that, but I'm not sure how well it would work. I'm certainly capable of getting us from an airport to Chessy/Marne-la-Vallee without incident, but I think there would be a lot of anxiety, and we might actually end up open jaw London/Dublin.
Thanks!
Not sure that I fully understand your travel plans. How does Dublin fit in?

The point I was trying to make was:
Eurodisney is well connected to both Paris airports. Either by the park's own shuttle buses (Orly and CDG) and, in the case of Charles-de-Gaulle airport only, also by a direct train (TGV) link.
So there is no need and no extra level of comfort in taking the Eurostar both ways from and back to London to catch a flight from London back home.

I think it would be helpful if you gave just a very rough overview of the complete itinerary of your trip.
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Old Dec 13th, 2018, 02:14 AM
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How much of a bubble, "how wide is the ocean?"

Disney in Paris is as close to apple-pie loving USA as you can believe.
Not liking burgers sounds like a healthy situation to be in
"French restaurants will not change things," where have you heard that, though it is fair to say in a fast food facility (I hesitate to say restaurant) the staff will not know how to change anything, most proper restaurants understand that some food are not acceptable to their clients for all kinds of reasons, including "I don't like that" or "can I make a starter into a main".

I'd write down what he doesn't like and translate it into French then hand it to the waiter when you start looking at the menu. I'd also get hold of the "google" translate app for French menus and use it with it set up so the camera autotranslates onto your screen

Anxiety due to change...... well I find "distraction" works or instead put them on google search to find something you need (works for my niece when she is playing up).
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Old Dec 13th, 2018, 04:48 AM
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I've traveled to France a number of times and don't speak French either. Paris is such an international city and if you ask by saying in French "parlez vous anglais" most French who deal with the pubic will respond in English.
I've been to Euro Disney and it was a lot of fun. I don't remember much about the food other than there were lots of choices that appeal to all tastes.

Last edited by nanabee; Dec 13th, 2018 at 04:51 AM.
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Old Dec 13th, 2018, 04:57 AM
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Disneyland Paris Restaurant Menus ? DLP Guide ? Disneyland Paris Restaurants, Dining, Places to Eat

This guide might be helpful for restaurant choices. It seems there are a lot and many look very "Americanized".

Your DH would think he was dining at home in Canada!
http://www.dlpguide.com/planning/din...net-hollywood/

Last edited by nanabee; Dec 13th, 2018 at 05:00 AM.
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Old Dec 13th, 2018, 05:23 AM
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Is there any reason for DH to believe that the English will be any better than then French? Does he think that they are similar to Americans? Since Brexit will have just happened, you might want to consider possible civil unrest in the UK.
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Old Dec 13th, 2018, 05:59 AM
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possibly we Brits might "Tut" a bit or give people a hard stare
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Old Dec 13th, 2018, 06:22 AM
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Originally Posted by bilboburgler

I'd write down what he doesn't like and translate it into French then hand it to the waiter when you start looking at the menu. I'd also get hold of the "google" translate app for French menus and use it with it set up so the camera autotranslates onto your screen

.
Using the google translate app for the menu is a good idea. It's easy to use but worth playing with at home first so that you can get a feel for how it works.

I find the other suggestion to be very bizarre. Handing a note to the server with a list of foods that you despise just as you start looking at the menu is a strange way to engage with the server. It's as odd as sitting down at the table, being handed a menu and starting to say "I do not like mustard, fish, pickles, peanut butter, ham, artichokes, grape preserves, Fanta, or grapefruit juice. I think this will leave most servers speechless and it's just odd.

Short of using the google app or if you are unsuccessful with it, it's best to learn at least the some of the main types of food - meat, fish, chicken, etc. and then query the waiter (as best you can in English) about how a couple of your choices are prepared. English is pretty much the common language of Europe so nobody should be ashamed about speaking English. For many Polish, Chinese, German, Dutch, Swedish, Turkish, etc, etc, visitors to France, English will be the language used to communicate.
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Old Dec 13th, 2018, 06:28 AM
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You may find it bizarre but I have a friend who has a bunch of the sort of problems mentioned by the OP and that is what her family do for her. It works well for her in Italy and France where issues with various foods are well known and where waiters know what is in the food. It also works well as she is vegetarian and while on holiday in Slovenia (a meat eaters paradise) it allowed staff to shape their menu around her without a fuss.

It depends how difficult the client is and I've yet to find a waiter who faints or walks away bemused.
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Old Dec 13th, 2018, 06:29 AM
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I think that doing those weird things will make the waiter's day. Most customers are probably pretty boring. But don't be surprised if you hear laughter coming from the kitchen.

Nevertheless, if there are no unfortunate incidents at Disneyland, I think it is quite reasonable to risk a trip into Paris on the RER -- it's just half an hour and it's direct. If necessary, you can see some of the sights and also visit a supermarket for acceptable food.
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Old Dec 13th, 2018, 06:34 AM
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Originally Posted by kerouac
I think that doing those weird things will make the waiter's day. Most customers are probably pretty boring. But don't be surprised if you hear laughter coming from the kitchen..
If only
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Old Dec 13th, 2018, 07:44 AM
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Okay, lots of helpful suggestions/feedback.

I'm not terribly worried about civil unrest in the wake of Brexit (long customs and immigration lines, but not much else). DH likes Ireland, and thinks he'll like England (I think he's probably right). Lack of language always makes him nervous (I do a lot of linguistic hand-holding in Montreal--we are Americans, not Canadian, BTW, but he likes Montreal).

He doesn't need or want things to be just like they are at home (and he's often entranced by minutiae) but he worries about all kinds of strange things. Sometimes reason works, sometimes it doesn't.

I speak enough French to order in a restaurant, and can certainly read a menu, but ordering for DH can be interesting, even in English.

Assuming we are in and out of Dublin/London (and we're not sure which order we'd do it in), the idea is to take the Ulysses car ferry (it's the largest car ferry in the world, and is a major item for both DS and DH) to Holyhead, get or leave a hire car there, drive around Wales and the South of England, and leave/get said hire car somewhere on the outskirts of London. Hard Brexit would probably cause me to abandon the car ferry.

Adding to DH's unease (and DS's and mine, because he'll drive us crazy and I hate flying anyway) by including confusing French airports seems unnecessary. He's curious and he likes to travel, but he's more easily thrown for a loop than most people who do, and he likes trains. A lot.
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Old Dec 13th, 2018, 08:03 AM
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Originally Posted by bilboburgler
You may find it bizarre but I have a friend who has a bunch of the sort of problems mentioned by the OP and that is what her family do for her. It works well for her in Italy and France where issues with various foods are well known and where waiters know what is in the food. It also works well as she is vegetarian and while on holiday in Slovenia (a meat eaters paradise) it allowed staff to shape their menu around her without a fuss.

It depends how difficult the client is and I've yet to find a waiter who faints or walks away bemused.
Whatever works for you and is easiest. I just thought it was odd and I meant no offense. I suppose if we're talking about something like a peanut allergy, I can see that approach working as it's pretty simple but handing the waiter a shopping list of all the things you don't like to eat in the world and expecting a waiter to figure out how to apply that information in the ordering process will create a lot of head scratching and, as Kerouac suggests, it could cause quite a spectacle. Recipe for chaos and confusion.

In life, it's always served me well to just keep things as simple as possible and avoid creating a lot of confusion, particularly when there are language barriers and cultural differences.
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Old Dec 13th, 2018, 08:32 AM
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Very seriously, if food appears to be a major obstacle, do visit a supermarket to allay some of the fears. While this might not be necessary in England, if you go to Disneyland, you can take the RER just one stop to Val d'Europe and visit the giant Auchan hypermarket in the mall there. And you can also walk to the opposite end of the mall to where the food zone is where you can stroll around and look at what is in everybody's plate -- there are at least a dozen restaurants there of every type.

Auchan also has a huge deli section of course, which would also be a major visual aid regarding "French" food -- which is really quite similar to the food in most Western countries, although I will not deny that there might be a few surprises. I myself was at a hypermarket today and bought a calf's brain for dinner tomorrow. And yet one of the reasons that I bought it is because I almost never see it in the stores, so I pounce on it if it appears. Normally, you will just see boring things like roast chicken or lasagne...
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