disney & Paris tips
We had the best time at Disneyland Paris this summer and although this isn’t strictly organising content (@organisedbycharlotte) I felt compelled to write down my top tips in a quick and easy to read way, as not only did I ask so many people for tips and advice I also learnt a lot going there myself!
Just a few points, my kids were 4 and 6 at the time of going so this is from a fairly young perspective and you may want to read other reviews if your kids are older! They also didn’t love anything too high up or high intensity so bear that in mind too! We also went at peak time so waiting times were probably longer.
We went to Paris afterwards and Ill also jot down a few extra tips if you want to add on to your trip too I would highly recommend - its such a beautiful city!
My top tips:
Get just the tickets to Disney - We got a Disney package, which upon reflection we didn’t need. You don’t need to stay at the Disney hotels, they are over priced and you don’t spend any time there, plus food is awful.
Stay outside Disney & go for at least 2 days - we stayed at the Newport Hotel, it was fine but totally overpriced and I think unnecessery to stay there. I recommend getting there the late afternoon the day before your ticket so you can settle and then get a minimum 2 day access to Disney. Stay somewhere a 10-15 minute drive away - you can get an Uber everyday to the park and its so much more cost effective. If I was going again I would stay in La Vallee Village somewhere like this L'Elysée Val d'Europe* looks good value, good reviews and has a Disney shuttle.
If you buy a Fast Pass, buy it p/ride if you have young kids - if the queues are 45/60 minutes and you don’t like queueing. I think the fast pass is definately worthit if your kids are older and will enjoy all the rides, but as our kids only enjoyed certain rides it wasn’t worth the money. We got a lot more rides done with the fast pass, and I think its 100% worthit to purchase individually, but beware some rides don’t have a fast pass.
Be organised - Download the app before you go - and have a bit of a plan of what you want to do. I think it helps to map out the rides that are top of your list, and you can favourite these rides on the app so that when you arrive you can see what the queues are like. There are also fun little shows on around the park depending on the time of year, we had a Princess show for 15 minutes and there was a superhero fight, all are on the app so you can plan to see them based on where you are - they are worthit and fun for the kids! The app will also give you height limits too.
Take a small bag for everyone - its really useful for you to have items on you (even if you have a buggy) to hold everything when queueing. Sometimes the queue line isnt covered so a rain poncho* is necessary, if the kids need a snack or a little toy* to play with in the queue etc.
Our favourite rides;
Disneyland: Dumbo the flying Elephant/Peter Pan’s Flight/Buzz lightyear Laser Blast/Big Thunder Mountain/Star Tours: The adventures Continue/Mad Hatters Tea Cups/Autopia/ Its a small world
Disney Studios: Spiderman WEB Adventure/Ratatouille/Slinky Dog/Aladdin: Les Tapis Volants/Cars Roadtrip
**but its important to note my kids did not enjoy the bigger rides and I took them on Tower of Terror and they hated me for a good few hours!! I would have loved to have done Crush if my kids wanted to do it!
Go to the shows - don’t pay to reserve! As long as you get there 20 minutes before, you will be fine getting in (I think Frozen you have to get there 45 minutes before but we didnt see this one) - we saw Mickey & the Magician (features a lot of characters including Elsa) and The Lion King and both were about 30 minutes and totally epic.
Meeting the characters - this is something I was quite disappointed with as when I was a kid the characters just walked around, but nowadays you have to queue to meet them anything from 20 minutes to 2 hours (but we did go in peak time). We did this a few times, but only for short queues (we are not big on queuing as a family).
Invest in the Character Meal - totally worth the big price ticket for us even though the food was AWFUL. We did the Princess Breakfast, and would do it again - I’d much rather spend on this and seeing my kids meet the princesses and not be rushed over staying in a Disney hotel. As mentioned above the queues to meet the characters were so long and I didnt see the point in wasting so much time on it - i.e. the Princess Pavillion queue averaged 1.5 hours! Only disappointment for my girls was not meeting Elsa! You also get early access to the park if you do a breakfast and can get great pictures without it being so busy - i.e. we got our family pic outside the castle, and some other pics that were much better without big crowds.
Parades are amazing - we all enjoyed it. Ill pass on the advice I was given, to get a good viewing point (by the disney castle) arrive at the castle area 20 minutes early, as if you don’t you don’t get front row its extremely uncomfortable and squishy!
Gift Shops are pricey - there are loads of little items they can get and personally we feel its unnecessary to spend hundreds of pounds on things we know we can get cheaper here. My kids were very happy with key rings and pens.
Photopasses not worthit - most the pictures were awful and we bought one as it was funny but certainly didnt feel the need to buy a pass.
Get free Disney cards from the cleaners around the park - just ask nicely - there are loads to collect.
Bring food & snacks - the food is awful, and it costs a small fortune. We made sandwiches on the first day and brought snacks from home, and I wish we had made sandwhiches for the second day, as the food was awful. Obviously a Mickey Mouse ice cream was absolutely worthit though!!!
People may have told you but everything is extremely over priced at Disney, from the food to the gift shops and its important to be prepared! You really don’t need to buy all these things there and pay over the odds!
Shopping List:
Autograph books* - they cost around €10 each there
Minnie/Mickie ears* - they cost around €20 each there! We got the half price ones but still not worthit!
Primark - have some great Disney bits, we got the kids backpacks, waterbottles and a few other little bits before going so they didn’t feel neglected when the budget was small at the gift shop
Litte toy* or LED screens* for the queues, a friend recommended bringing a few things, my kids didn’t do much but depending on how long you are willing to queue for a few little toys may be useful.
Rain Poncho - we bought one umbrella but in hindsight everyone should have had a poncho would have been much easier to store and keep us all dry - we know how unpredictable European weather can be!
Layers - take a jumper, the weather can change quickly from cold to hot and its good to have layers on you
I would recommend going for at least 2 nights and getting to the park for 2 days, but I don’t think I could have done more than 2 and a half days there if I am honest:
Packing List
Water bottles* for everyone - you can fill up your water for free around the park
A buggy/step for every small child - its a lot of walking and when a friend recommended to take our step for the buggy I was so happy I did as both kids got tired. Also there are 2 parks, Disneyland and Disney Studios so its quite a walk inbetween them and walking inbetween the rides. Just to note you cannot take buggy’s into the queue’s though.
Fancy dress* - I think its nice for the kids to wear fancy dress and dress up as their favourite characters - and if you buy them at the park they are so expensive. Bring with you and I even got a Disney t-shirt* for one day just to be in on the fun!
Comfortable shoes - you will be doing a lot of walking so this is key.
Sting spray - there are a lot of wasps in certain areas, as much as they try to limit it there are certain areas so take it with so it doesn’t ruin the experience (relevant for summer visits).
Change of clothes for everyday - we did a lot of walking and by the end of the day I wouldnt have put on those same clothes again!
Sandwhich Bags & Snacks - whether you make food at breakfast (just to note you can’t do this at the Disney Princess Breakfast) or buy some baguettes when you arrive sandwhich bags are useful ! Snacks from home help you not become bankrupt too ;).
PARIS
Sneaking in some Paris tips too as we had a lovely time!
Where to stay - I would recommend an apartment over a hotel, hotel rooms are pricey and small which was not ideal with kids. We stayed in an airbnb near Le Marais which is a beautiful location and very central.
How to travel - the public transport is so easy to use even with kids, we opted for the bus as didnt fancy carrying the buggy down the steps to the metro. But we also walked almost everywhere!
Where to eat - for breakfast any cafe for a coffee and a croissant is an absolute must, lunch: Bambini & Cafe Charlot (obvs), and dinners we did sans kids in Tekes (highly recommend) and Perruche (beautiful view but average food). There was an ice cream place I would have loved to have tried called ‘Bachir’ and any Patisserie is a winner for me!
What to do - we didn’t get to do everything but here is some of the things to jot down: Trocadero for those all important Eiffel Tower pics, Jardin des tuileries for a beautiful walk and ending off at the Louvre, Pompodou Exhibition, Arc de Triompe with a walk down Av. des Champs-Élysées, Notre Dame, Boat Ride down the River Siene…..
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