Plan for travel - does this sound ok?

**unixgirl** · 12 Sep 21, 09:58 AM

Hi,
Like a lot of others, I've given up on WDW for another year and booked DLP for a short stay to get my Disney fix. I've booked 2 nights, 3 days at NPB in a CC room which comes with park passes, so far so good. Now travel, I live near York so flying my nearest airport is LBA which is an awful airport and much worse in winter as it's really badly sited in a dip which means it gets fogbound a lot, add on to that the bad cross winds and crappy terminal and I'm not inclined to fly from there. Crossing to MAN is possible but honestly transpennine is also prone to delays. My thoughts then turn to the Eurostar from St. Pancras. I travel to London regularly (well much more regularly pre-covid) for work and usually get the Thameslink from St. Pancras to get the office anyway and see the Eurostar check in every time. Now, l thought I'd get the direct to and from DLP but the times are quite late for the outbound as you basically lose the day (especially with DLP closing early in winter) as you arrive around 3 in the afternoon. After trawling several threads I saw a suggestion from the very helpful Gill H that going via Gare Du Nord is an option and that there were videos to show that journey. Indeed there are, so now my thought is. Travel down the morning before I go to Disney, work in the office for the day (means I can claim back my train ticket). Book and pay for a cheap hotel (probably PI) near KGX and then get the 7:55am to GDN. From there RER B (Sud) to Valle les Halles then to DLP on the A line. That should I think get me in for around lunchtime into DLP. Drop my bag at the hotel and then to the park. On the way back however I thought I'd go direct and get the train that comes in around 19:45 then direct train back home. The only thing at the moment is that Eurostar doesn't seem to like you not booking a direct return, is there a way to do multi-city like you can in airlines as it is making the tickets a fair bit more expensive when I put in the one way journeys. Also, have I made any errors in my planning?

**Gill H** · 12 Sep 21, 10:16 AM

I think Eurostar doesn't like one-way journeys. We've had to go home via GdN also when we've done that.

Your planning looks fine. That PI is really near. If that's the earliest Eurostar, go for it (there used to be one earlier but perhaps not running currently).

Yes, you want RER line B (the blue one) to Chatelet les Halles, which is just one stop. Look for 'direction Robinson/Remy les Chevreuses'.

When you get off at CLH, the RER line A train goes from the platform directly opposite you.

On your last day, you can pay to have your bags taken from the hotel to the station, or you can pop to the station yourself and pay to use a locker there. Or there is a paid luggage room at Disneyland Park, but I often see long queues for it.

**unixgirl** · 12 Sep 21, 10:24 AM

Thank you Gill. I vaguely recall sticking my bag in the train station when I did the runDisney event and then the queue to get it back being horrible. Is the luggage service worth paying for do you think?

**donna252** · 12 Sep 21, 10:35 AM

I�d probably be tempted to get the Eurostar over the night before the Newport booking if that�s an option and stay at a cheap off site hotel near dlp. Check in Newport first thing and then u can have a full day in the park.

**Gill H** · 12 Sep 21, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by unixgirl

Thank you Gill. I vaguely recall sticking my bag in the train station when I did the runDisney event and then the queue to get it back being horrible. Is the luggage service worth paying for do you think?

If you are going back on the Eurostar it's great, because you get it back just where you queue to go to security. It's pricey though - it always used to be 11 Euros per room for years, then it shot up to 25 Euros and it's gone up again. For one person with one case, not worth it. If it was a family with several cases, yes.

I've never seen a queue in the station for the lockers, but I suspect with the run, lots of people were using them.

**Gill H** · 12 Sep 21, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by donna252

I�d probably be tempted to get the Eurostar over the night before the Newport booking if that�s an option and stay at a cheap off site hotel near dlp. Check in Newport first thing and then u can have a full day in the park.

Duh... why did I not think of this? Yes indeed.

I've not stayed at the Hipark but it looks decent and is walkable to/from Disney Village. I have stayed at the Ibis Val d'Europe which is fine - no frills but clean, and literally right opposite the Val d'Europe station.

mrsbenny · 12 Sep 21, 12:10 PM

We have 4 nights booked at sequoia lodge as a back up to Florida for April and we have booked Eurostar for day before we are due to check in , we are going to book a cheap offsite hotel than we can check in early at Disney to get our tickets. I�ve been looking at ibis as Gill mentioned as opposite train station.

HFJohnson · 12 Sep 21, 12:28 PM

Not being able to book a return from a different station is my one bug bear with Eurostar as I usually prefer to get the earlier train to GdN (hoping they bring back the 6am train soon) but return from Marne la Vallee.

Travelling down a day earlier and staying offsite is a great option as you don't lose any park time. I'd be doing on our next trip but I only want to go for two nights so I can do the return test before I leave the UK.

**unixgirl** · 12 Sep 21, 12:42 PM

Thanks for the idea - I had a look and I could do the indirect earlier in the day (no directs on a Tuesday) but it would mean not working that day as it would be too early to leave (unless I want to get into hotel close to midnight). Definitely food for thought though. I was also thinking of doing the return test before leaving the UK which would block that option. Decisions, decisions.

**Gill H** · 12 Sep 21, 01:22 PM

Originally Posted by mrsbenny

We have 4 nights booked at sequoia lodge as a back up to Florida for April and we have booked Eurostar for day before we are due to check in , we are going to book a cheap offsite hotel than we can check in early at Disney to get our tickets. I�ve been looking at ibis as Gill mentioned as opposite train station.

Just to clarify, it is opposite Val d�Europe station not Marne la Vallee. So if you are going to MLV by Eurostar you then need to buy an RER ticket and go one stop on the RER.