Very short time in Paris - maybe better to fly on to Copenhagen?

If we decide to fly on, I think we will need a flight not linked to
the oversees flight. I assume that means we will need to get our bags,
go through customs and then get back in line at Air France to drop off
our bags and then go through security again.

Why would you do that?? The simplest way would be to book both flights on a single ticket. You wouldnt have to collect your bags - you would go through customs in Copenhagen. You'd only go thru passport control at CDG. And if for some reason you missed your connecting flight ( for example if your transatlantic flight was considerably delayed), the airline would have to get you on the next available flight.

If you do 2 separate bookings for those flights, if you miss the second one, you'd be out of luck and would have to pay for a new set of tickets at the going rate. Plus the hassle of picking up your bags, checking in for the 2nd flight, etc.

The flight from CVG to CDG is already booked. For whatever reason one can fly on 70,000 points to Paris while the flight to Copenhagen was 130,000 points. We figured we would do a day or so in another city before going to Copenhagen.

Since your flight to Paris is already set, I'd go ahead and spend the day and night there. Yes, the boys will probably be a bit grumpy, but you could just hit a few high spots in Paris, and still get a good night's sleep. I'd certainly consider the Arc de Triomphe, and possibly Napoleon's tomb as sights that may interest them. And the Eiffel Tower, of course.

If the boys are amenable, there is plenty of time to visit one or two of the major art museums, as well. (Consider the Cluny, with all the unicorn tapestries.) Go for it!

If you book your flight from Paris to CPH on Thursday on a partner airline like Air France, you might be able to interline the bags without collecting them again. Sounds like Delta might do it. Read this:

https://pro.delta.com/content/agency/mx/en/news/policy-update-archive/2016/january-2016/delta-confirms-through-check-baggage-policy--.html

One case mentioned is "SkyMiles Award plus a ticket with Delta-marketed / Delta-operated flights" - and that might include an AF code share flight to CPH. Call Delta and ask.

Still...if you were to have a long layover in Paris anyway, re-collecting your bags might kill some time and not be a big hassle. What else are you going to do for a long layover? Unless you try to risk a shorter layover.

A benefit to staying the night in Paris: giving your kids something to do for the jetlagged day. Being stuck at an airport all day
waiting for the next one after a long flight might drive them nuts.

This just seems like you're forcing it. By the time you get your bags and get through customs at CDG - you could be looking at 9:30 - 10:00. Paris is a good 45 minute cab ride from CDG - so with luck you could be into Paris by 11:00 AM. But then you need to check into your hotel, etc. So maybe you're out into the city by 11:30? So you'd kind of have half a day and an evening to see the sites? Then you'd have to get out of your hotel by noon - 12:30 the next day to take a cab back to CDG. And since you've got to recheck your bags - give yourself easily a couple of hours just to be safe.

I would personally advise against doing this with two boys - and I LOVE Paris. But if you're set on doing it - I'd recommend booking a hotel at CDG and then taking the RER Train from CDG into Paris (thereby leaving your luggage behind so you don't have to schlep it all over the place). Then enjoy the 10 hours or so you'd have in Paris. Figure out what you definitely want to see ahead of time - and map out where those sites are. For example - if you want to see Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower - just know they're not near each other. So in that instance - rely on the metro. This plan would also buy you some time the next morning for you and the kids to sleep in a little later.

Whatever you decide - have a great trip!!!

Thanks, these are all very good ideas. I just told my husband I would rather be walking around Paris with the boys then stuck in CDG waiting for a late afternoon flight. We also could stay in Paris using Hilton points which we couldn't if we went on to Copenhagen. I think I will call Delta and check with them on adding an Air France flight and if the luggage can be checked through to Copenhagen. I think if that was the case we should be able to take a noon flight? I just don't want to be hanging around all day at CDG after an all night flight.

"I would rather be walking around Paris with the boys then stuck in CDG waiting for a late afternoon flight. "
I wholeheartedly agree with your thinking.

Agree with Andrew about asking Delta about checking bags through to Copenhagen on a partner airline flight, and then just keeping one carry-on/personal item with everyone's meds/nightwear/clean underclothes at the hotel. (Or just the meds carried in your purse, everyone sleeps in their underwear -- your boys probably won't mind.)
The worst they can say is "no"

Well, I have spoken to Delta and Air France separately. Both gave me the same information (which is a slight miracle). Both said that the ticket person in Cincinnati should be handed the CDG to Copenhagen information when doing our boarding passes for CVG to CDG. Anyway, that person should take our luggage with no problem with the notation that the luggage goes all the way to Copenhagen.
Most interesting was that both airlines informed me that upon arrival in CDG we would go directly to the next gate - no need to go through Passport Control and security. This is contrary to what I have read on different boards. The Delta guy said it was because of the understanding between the two airlines and that it wouldn't work if it was some random airline.
However, as pointed out, we still wouldn't have any guaranteed flight if our first flight was delayed and we missed the next one.

I think it all sounds a bit risky and a lot is riding on Marge at the Delta Cincinnati counter. I can only imagine that some trainee is on duty and gets it all utterly messed up and our leggage ends up in Cooperstown and not Copenhagen.

I suppose there are worse things than 24 hours in Paris!!!

Agree with you about Marge at the Delta counter in Cincinnati. I was flying on American to Denver and catching a puddle jumper to Nebraska. Everything on paper said that American would check the bag all the way to Nebraska. However when I got to the airport they would not. Had a huge discussion with the supervisors on the check-in counter about this to no avail. Thankfully I was packing light enough to carry it onboard to Denver. Did not want to claim it and recheck it at DIA. On the return the puddle jumper checked it all the way through and were very angry that it didn't happen on the way there.

I would stay in an airport hotel and go into Paris for the day and continue on to Copenhagen.

Happy Travels.

I agree with the last poster -- after arriving at CDG, drop your luggage at an airport hotel and head into the city for some sightseeing or exploring, preferably outdoors, and return to the hotel for the night. Then take a morning or midday flight to Copenhagen, giving you an afternoon and night there before you sail the following day.

If you can't connect through CDG to Copenhagen on the day you land, better to spend the rest of that day seeing some of Paris than sacked out in an airport. But spend that night at an airport hotel rather than one in Paris so you're sure of making the next flight. Besides hotels at the airport itself, there are others in the nearby town of Roissy with shuttle service. I haven't been there but it might make a more interesting and cheaper alternative to CDG overnight.

Current thinking on the best way to mitigate jet lag is to get out into the sun and move around in order to acclimate to the new time zone, even if it's a little uncomfortable and grumpy at first.