We’d like to share our insights from our recent trip to Disneyland Paris, especially for those planning their own visit. During our stay, we discovered several key pieces of information that weren’t readily available online—details we wish we had known before our trip. These tips are intended to help you maximize your time, avoid long queues, and save money in various ways.
After extensive research, we opted to stay at a nearby hotel outside the park, which was significantly more affordable. The hotel provided a complimentary shuttle bus that ran every 15-30 minutes, making transportation to and from the park both convenient and cost-effective. A walk would take about 15 to 20 minutes. With the savings from our accommodation, we invested in VIP passes for the first two days, which proved invaluable, saving us nearly half a day’s worth of waiting in lines at each attraction. If you’re visiting with children, it’s important to note that wait times for popular rides can exceed an hour, regardless of the weather—an experience best avoided if possible.
Our hotel package included breakfast, providing us with the energy needed for long hours in the park. We supplemented this with hotdogs and sandwiches purchased inside, and we also brought along light snacks and water. While the park hosts a nightly fireworks festival around 10 PM, we found ourselves too exhausted to return after freshening up. To make the most of your VIP passes, it’s crucial to arrive at the park entrance before 8 AM, as the queues quickly become lengthy. Comfortable shoes and clothing are a must, as you can expect to walk 10-12 hours each day to see everything and experience all the rides. Additionally, packing an umbrella and sweatshirt is advisable, as the weather can be unpredictable.
Dining options within the park are abundant, ranging from fast food and street vendors to à la carte menus and even a Michelin-starred restaurant. Reservations are highly recommended to avoid any inconvenience. When making dining reservations, it’s also a good idea to verify which Disney characters will be present, to ensure they align with your preferences.
The park is well-maintained, with clean and ample restroom facilities available throughout, so this was never a concern. For souvenirs, while there are more affordable options at shops outside the park, be aware that you may not find the specific items you saw inside, and sizes may be limited due to high turnover.
As for the rides, they were beyond incredible—though some were quite fast and even scary for my wife and her friends. However, the rest of our group, especially the kids, were thrilled and enjoyed every second, even on the scarier rides. I won’t spoil the surprise by going into too much detail about the rides themselves, but I will say to prepare for some wild experiences. At the end of certain rides, there’s an option to purchase digital photos of yourself in action, priced around 20 euros each, including a frame. We picked up a few hilarious shots as souvenirs!
While Disneyland Paris isn’t cheap, it’s an experience worth every penny. I hope these tips prove helpful for your visit. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out—I’d be happy to help.
Thanks for sharing. May I ask what time of the year did you visit? And what do you mean up to our preferences?
We visited this summer, so was a bit more crowded than usual due to the sports events in France. The majority of kids with us were boys, while the Michelin Restaurant characters were princesses, so we had to cancel and try move our paid reservation to another restaurant but sadly everything was fully booked. However, I don’t know if they have the same characters every day or they run on schedule. Worth asking ahead.
May I ask how much you spent and how many nights you booked your hotel for?
We were 2 Adults and 2 kids and stayed as mentioned for 3 nights in an outside hotel as Disney Hotels were much more expensive. I have to say that these outside nearby hotels are also themed and super doper cool. In total, we spent around 3,500 euros on hotel, VIP passes, meals including nice restaurants, drinks, nice wine, souvenirs.
3500 euros for 3 nights! Wow! This is around 3,900 $ – 4,000$.
I know but it is worth it. We have been saving for this trip for a while and preferred to wait till the kids are a bit older to remember it later in life.
Wow. Thanks for being open to sharing how much the trip cost you. This is an important insight for good planning.
Indeed. Thanks for sharing. I didn’t expect it to be that expensive. But I think it is also an option to stay in more affordable hotels a bit far from the park, I heard the price drops drastically, especially when it’s more than 4 people and probably more than 1 bedroom. Airbnb could also be an option.
There are always more affordable options, but we preferred to stay a bit close to the park in case we decide to walk. But everybody was too tired at the end of the day that we always took the hotel shuttle and were happy we stayed somewhere close.
Oh my Gosh 🙃
We could see the rides on YouTube. I heard some are really crazy but we all can’t wait to go. Good to know that toilets are clean and available. We will have elderly people with us. I suppose it is wheelchair friendly, right?
Yes we saw many people in wheelchairs and elderly people. Lots of grandpas and grandmas.
Thanks for sharing.
We also been there this summer, and I find the amount you shared to be pretty close to what we paid (4,000$) we also stayed at one of the outside nearby hotels, cowboy themed American ranch hotel. The kids loved it, and they had plenty of options for breakfast. The rooms were literally big enough, they had a coffee machine in the room but not espresso so we had to walk 2 minutes away to a nearby Starbucks to get our espressos. I strongly support everything you mentioned. It is expensive but worth every penny and we plan to visit another Disney destination in a couple years. The kids are already saving money for it!
Thanks for sharing the Hotel name. We checked it out it is a walking distance from the Theme Park and they have great reviews.
Haha same here. The kids are planning to visit Disneyland Tokyo next. I find Disney to be great in planning everything for parents from A to Z. Their experiences are always well managed with no major concerns. Very smart.
Were all rides open when you visited? Thanks
Yes some of the rides were closed. Buzz for instance was permanently closed, as far as I remember. Avengers was closed when the park opened at 8am and had to wait till 9am for it to open. Many other rides were either under construction or closed, there were many paneled areas around the park but am not sure if they existed already or under construction.
Hello. I would like to ask you if they have Disney shows during the day? Thank you.
Hi. Yes they did. We attended 2 shows but the kids preferred the rides more. Shows are on schedule and you need to queue and be there on time otherwise you miss it.