Car service: CDG to Paris center

Your best bet is to just go to the official taxi queue and get a cab when you arrive. They will match you with an appropriately sized cab. Shuttle and car services are not the Paris norm and tend to be comparatively unreliable. For the return trip call the G7 English line and specify a cab that will haul 5 people and their luggage and do it the night before.

Ah, simplicity. Love it! Thank you, Janet.

Will,
Perhaps your hotel can arrange a private car shuttle. We have done this in the past and have not had any problems. As a rule the price is fixed in advance so the meter doesn't go sky high due to traffic.
TC

We are not using a hotel, TC.

I looked at the G7 site, Janet, and one can reserve a Maxicab for 80 Euro. I hear you about the unreliability of reserved service, though. My wife prefers solid, planned transfers with the tired kids, etc. Maybe I can reassure her. Thanks for the advice.

-Will

Lots of people coming to Paris have had the experience of an arranged shuttle not showing up and being told 'we were there and you weren't.' If you do arrange a shuttle or car service make sure it is one you don't prepay as you will never see the money back if they don't show. A taxi will ALWAYS be there at the airport and in our experience the lines have gone quickly. With 5 you pay the metered fare plus 6 Euro for the two passengers over the first 3 and a Euro per bag in the trunk. 80 seems a bit high. We have used taxis countless times (for 3 or fewer) from CDG and it has always been about 45 on the side near the airport and 55 or so further on. We have not paid over 60 -- but 80 for 5 is not crazy out of line. There is a service called Shuttleinter that I have not used but others have touted -- the advantage being that they don't require advance payment so if they don't show, you don't lose your money at least.

That helps a lot. Appreciate it!